I got word that one of the directors behind Nina Forever had gotten a quick translate of my review and was excited enough to want to run it through Google Translate. Mr. Blaine, allow me instead to thank you for such a wonderful piece of cinema with a translation of the review myself. And for my Swedish readers, yes, there are some paragraphs added in the English version. Reviews are quickly written and I when I get enthusiastic I sometimes forget about parts I really enjoyed. That being said, here’s the review again, in a slightly expanded version.

If Der Bunker had me scratching my head trying to form an opinion the other film of the evening, Nina Forever (2015), gave me a pleasant issue to tackle in finding out just how much I liked it. I soon realized that this melancholic, funny and sexy story by far beat Der Bunker in the run for the Melies.

The film is about how Holly, a supermarket cashier and paramedic student, falls head of over heels for her co-worker Rob. Rob is a survivor from a suicide attempt brought on by the tragic death of his girlfriend, Nina. Holly manages to get through Rob’s grief and the two of them start dating. Everything is going well until they sleep together. It appears that Nina isn’t really done with either living or Rob and simply appears in bed with them. Rob and Holly faces a dilemma: how do you break up with a girlfriend who refuses to leave? And a dead one at that?

Nina Forever is a genre defying film refusing easy definitions. It’s part drama, part black comedy. It also has horror themes combined with romance. Ben Blaine, one of the film’s directors, explained the film very well during the Q&A following the screening. He said that grief work seldom is just sad or awful. Instead you often feel all feelings, from morbid humor to deepest despair. I’ve rarely encountered a film that explores this clash of emotions better than Nina Forever.

The horror themes of the film have often been compared with those of Clive Barker, and I can see why. They have the same wry sense of humor in the midst of the blood and body horror. Somewhat surprising the many sex scenes had me thinking of another film though, Shortbus (2006). It’s not very often I see a film that’s not ashamed of showing sex and sexuality as something just as sensual as it is fun. There are some truly dark moments I just love during the sex scenes (the graveyard scene is hilarious in all its’ nastiness) and those made me think of the otherwise very different depiction of alternative sexuality set in New York. This is made possible by the very good cast, in particular the two female leads in Abigail Hardingham (Holly) and Fiona O'Shaughnessy (Nina). If I would single one out it would be Hardingham who gives Holly a sort of naivety mixed with an almost brutal strength of character.

I also have to mention the marvelous editing that often presents us with the end of a scene first and through jump cuts build the tension and storytelling. Very nicely done. Also, the script, with its’ bitter tasting ending, is also a highlight. I feel for these characters.

Nina Forever is a unique film that most major studios would have considered impossible to market. It doesn’t fit in any genre, has explicit sex scenes and heavy thematic while all the time countering these themes with British humor. It’s one of the best films I’ve seen during 2015. See it. Now. 5 ghosts of girlfriends past of 5 possible.